tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59585198278588927982024-02-08T04:50:34.561-08:00Florida Fishing Headquarters (FFH)Fishing Florida Keys with Capt. Steve Murray -popular flats and fly fishing guide, for bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook, redfish and sea trout, on light tackle spin or fly rod.Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-64709016022063664632018-05-12T18:04:00.001-07:002018-05-12T18:04:40.279-07:00Islamorada Fishing Spring Update<div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_9331">Hello Fishers,</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_9332"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_9330" dir="ltr">Tarpon Fishing is Hot, Hot, Hot right now! The tarpon are here as strong as ever. Evening trips are producing some serious numbers. Mr. Roy Shepard from England got his workout on several huge tarpon over the last few nights. Awesome drag screaming runs, fantastic towering leaps are expected and delivered from the Silver King in it's extraordinary effort to escape. This is prime time and these migratory fish will remain in the Keys to be challenged by any and all who are up to the task through June. Evening fishing seems to have fewer boats on the water this year...but the tarpon have swarmed into the area and have inhabited by the thousands. The average size is 100-150 pounds and you can bet on a spectacular tackle testing fight from start to finish. </div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_10138" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_10139" dir="ltr">The backcountry fishing remains solid with plenty of reliable trout, snapper and sharks. Speckled Sea Trout up to 24 inches and as many as you want to catch on most days. Mangrove snapper are always plentiful and tasty. Bluegills on steroids is my reference to the Mangrove Snapper..as they are large in numbers and strong as a bull. Bull Sharks, Lemon Sharks and the "Tasmanian" Blacktip Sharks are also plentiful and offer the ultimate tug of war for those who dare. Bulls and Lemons pushing the scales into the hundreds of pounds and Blacktips up to 80-100 pounds. Redfish have been difficult to locate but the Snook are large, strong and an awesome challenge for those who love to pound the water with artificial baits and/or soak a pinfish. We're catching some baby Tarpon in the mix targeting the Snook and Reds along with some hard fighting big Jacks. All in All the fishery is strong and holds up to it's reputation as "The Fishing Capital of the World".</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11132" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11133" dir="ltr">Islamorada and Key Largo are shaping up nicely after Hurricane Irma last September. Many of the Hotels/Motels made some beautiful improvements, some are still in the process. The Keys are still recovering from Hurricane Irma but the improvements are giving us a much needed makeover. </div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11453" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11452" dir="ltr">I'm trailering my boat out of the newly remodeled Pelican Cove Resort and Founders Park Marina in Islamorada until PCI is back up and running. The PostCard Inn (PCI) is rebuilding and I will be happy to be back in their New and Improved Beautiful Marina A.S.A.P. </div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11619" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11620" dir="ltr">Come on down and revisit the new and improved Florida Keys. Experience the fabulous fishing while your here. It is the Fishing Experience of A Lifetime!!!</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11585" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11621" dir="ltr">Thanks,</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11632" dir="ltr">Captain Steve Murray</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11633" dir="ltr">Phone: (305) 393-1641</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11634" dir="ltr">Email: stevemurray126@att.net</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11611" dir="ltr">Web Page: <a class="enhancr2_8463c88d-541e-32d1-47f4-472e6bc4ce6f" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11610" href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com/">Florida Keys Fishing - Capt. Steve Murray Florida Keys Fun Fishing with Capt. Steve Murray - Backcountry & Flats Fishing - Florida Keys Fishing, Islamorada Fishing with Capt. Steve Murray - Backcountry & Flats Fishing - Florida Keys Fishing, Islamora</a></div><div><br></div><div class="yahoo-link-enhancr-card ymail-preserve-class ymail-preserve-style" id="enhancr2_8463c88d-541e-32d1-47f4-472e6bc4ce6f" style="max-width:400px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" dir="ltr" contenteditable="false" data-size="medium" data-type="yenhancr" data-embed-url="" data-category="article" data-url="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com"> <a class="yahoo-enhancr-cardlink" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11654" style="text-decoration:none !important; color: #000 !important;" href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"> <table class="card-wrapper yahoo-ignore-table" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11653" style="max-width:400px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11652"><tr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11651"> <td width="400" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11650"> <table width="100%" class="card yahoo-ignore-table" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11649" style="max-width:400px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11648"><tr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11647"> <td class="card-primary-image-cell" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11646" background="https://s.yimg.com/vv//api/res/1.2/SEPRBt0LtlhUsHO3uQkxXw--~A/YXBwaWQ9bWFpbDtmaT1maWxsO2g9MjAwO3c9NDAw/http://www.tarponheadquarters.com/images/tarpon-bar.gif.cf.jpg" valign="top" style="background:#000 url('https://s.yimg.com/vv//api/res/1.2/SEPRBt0LtlhUsHO3uQkxXw--~A/YXBwaWQ9bWFpbDtmaT1maWxsO2g9MjAwO3c9NDAw/http://www.tarponheadquarters.com/images/tarpon-bar.gif.cf.jpg') no-repeat center center;background-size:cover;height:200px;position:relative;" bgcolor="#000000"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><v:rect fill="true" stroke="false" style="width:400px;height:218px;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;"><v:fill type="frame" color="#000000" src="https://s.yimg.com/vv//api/res/1.2/SEPRBt0LtlhUsHO3uQkxXw--~A/YXBwaWQ9bWFpbDtmaT1maWxsO2g9MjAwO3c9NDAw/http://www.tarponheadquarters.com/images/tarpon-bar.gif.cf.jpg"/></v:rect><![endif]--> <table class="yahoo-ignore-table" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11645" style="width:100%;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" valign="top"> <tbody id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11644"><tr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11643"> <td id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11642" background="https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/12/overlay-tile.png" valign="top" style="background:transparent url('https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/12/overlay-tile.png') repeat left top;height:200px;" bgcolor="transparent"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><v:rect fill="true" stroke="false" style="width:400px;height:218px;position:absolute;top:-18px;left:0;"><v:fill type="pattern" color="#000000" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/12/overlay-tile.png"/><v:textbox inset="0,0,20px,0"><![endif]--> <table height="185" class="yahoo-ignore-table" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11641" style="width:100%;height:185px;min-height:185px;"> <tbody id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11640"><tr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11639"> <td class="card-richInfo2" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11725" style="text-align:left;text-align:left;padding:15px 0 0 15px;vertical-align:top;"> </td> <td class="card-actions" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1526166208800_11638" style="text-align:right;padding:15px 15px 0 0;vertical-align:top;"> <div class="card-share-container"></div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!--[if gte mso 9]></v:textbox></v:rect><![endif]--> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table align="center" class="card-info yahoo-ignore-table" style="background:#fff;position:relative;z-index:2;width:95%;max-width:380px;border:1px solid #e0e4e9;border-bottom:3px solid #000000;margin-top:-40px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="background-color:#ffffff;padding:16px 0 16px 12px;vertical-align:top;"> </td> <td style="vertical-align:middle;padding:16px 12px;width:99%;"> <h2 class="card-title" style="font-size: 16px; line-height:19px; margin:0 0 4px 0;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;word-break:break-word;">Florida Keys Fishing - Capt. Steve Murray Florida Keys Fun Fishing with Cap...</h2> <div class="card-description" style="font-size:11px;line-height:15px;color:#999;word-break:break-word;">Fishing Florida Keys with Capt. Steve Murray -popular flats and fly fishing guide, for bonefish, tarpon, permit,...</div> </td> <td style="text-align:right;padding:16px 12px 16px 0;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </a></div><div><br></div></div>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-69650413119073410622017-12-09T08:59:00.000-08:002017-12-09T09:00:21.646-08:00Keys Fishing after Irma <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Happy Holidays Everyone,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Here is a quick update on fishing and recovery in the Keys after Hurricane Irma. The Islamorada and Key Largo areas are starting to clean up. A lot of the debris that was piled up on the roadside has been removed. Most of the smaller Hotel/Motels are up and running and a few larger ones. My boat is still in the shop and the new completion date is "sometime next week" fingers crossed. I've been renting a boat for the few trips I've had. Business is normally slow this time of year..but it's slower then normal for everyone. We are coming up on the Holiday season and I have several trips booked already around Christmas and New Years. Fishing has been good.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I fished a couple regular clients on Wednesday and Thursday (Bob and Sandy). They had a great time as usual catching lots of fish. Wednessday we concentrated on snook, reds, black drum and snapper. We caught 4 snook, a black drum, lots of snapper and jacks and Sandy hauled in a big Bull Shark. Thursday we hit the Gulf for some spanish mackerel and the variety pack. We spent the whole day reeling in fish. They were catching a fish every 3rd or 4th cast and sometimes every cast. We enjoyed the variety pack...spanish mackerel up to about 6 pounds, lots of jacks, speckeled sea trout, mangrove snapper, yellowtail snapper, lane snapper, small sharks, blue runners, ladyfish and a few others. We went "catching" that day! They kept a few big mangrove snapper and a mackerel for dinner...yum!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>If you are planning a trip to the Keys I urge you to make your reservations well in advance. Call your favorite Hotel/Motel or rental property and find out about their status. Feel free to give me a call or email for recommedations.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>With limited pressure fishing should continue to get better and better. Cooler weather is coming and that will bring in more black drum, sheepshead, spanish mackerel and it will concentrate the schools of reds and snook. I'm looking forward to some great fishing over the next few months. Come down and enjoy it with me!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks and Happy Holidays,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=icon" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=link" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-15551560826578707102017-11-15T08:05:00.001-08:002017-11-15T08:05:30.562-08:00Fishing in the Keys 2018<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hello Everyone,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I just got back to the Keys last week from 3 months in Montana. I thought I would write a quick note about what's going on here.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Everyone knows we got hit by a hurricane (Irma) in September. There is still a lot of cleanup going on but most businesses are up and running in Islamorada, Tavernier and Key Largo. The oceanside of the Keys got hit the hardest. Most of the Resorts on the oceanside are closed and will remain closed for another 4 months to a year. Much of the work is being done by outside agencies. Many are commuting from the mainland back and forth and many are staying in the Keys...renting whatever is available.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>My boat was damaged and is still in the repair shop. It is supposed to be finished by next week. I'm having a high quality fiberglass repair shop working on it (Glasser Boat Works). When the boat is done it will be a custom boat...better then new! I'm looking forward to getting it back......in the meantime I am borrowing a boat to fish some of my regular clients on Thurday and Friday. So, I will be sure to get a fishing report out to you next week. My circle of guide friends are telling me the fishing is PRETTY GOOD!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>If you are planning a trip down here within the next Year....I would suggest making plans and room reservations as far in advance as possible. Most of the Major Hotels are closed, some for up to a year. Once Season starts (February through June and the Christmas Holidays) it may be difficult to find a place to rent. Here are some of the major Hotels that are closed....Cheeca Lodge, PostCard Inn, Amara Cay Resort, Pelican Cove, Chesapeak Resort and many more. There are many smaller Hotels and Motels open and most Hotels/Motels on the Bayside are open. But with the number of people who normally visit the Keys in our "season" there will be limited rentals.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I believe the fishing will be excellent this year. There is/and will be much less fishing pressure and usually after a storm the snook and redfish populations explode. I'll keep you posted.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Make your room reservations early this year!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A> </FONT></DIV><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=icon" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=link" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-76328343557840854862016-06-02T10:14:00.001-07:002016-06-02T10:14:21.849-07:00Welcome to Tarpon Fishing<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Kuuursplassshh! Ziiinggg!! Zoowwiie!!! Zooom......OMG I got one! Did you see that Fish jump...he must have been 6 feet out of the water! What do I do?? ....Just hang on and let him run, if the the line goes slack start reeling as FAST as you can!! Did you see the size of that FISH!!!!! I've never fought a fish this strong before! I think he's gone? ......he's NOT gone...REEL REEL REEL ...he's swimming toward you!!! ZZiinggg!! Zoowiiee!! Zooom!! Kuuursplasssshh!!!! Your right, I still got him.....this is CRAZY! </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>WELCOME to TARPON FISHING</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Tarpon is a word for the present...they are here "bigtime". Big smiles, sore arms and heart pounding out of your chest is what you can expect. The Silver King never dissapoints. Jaw dropping jumps, drag screaming runs. This is the fish of a lifetime. These are prehistoric wonders of the fish world. If you haven't experienced the awesome fight of a tarpon...you need to put it on your priority list of "Must Things to Do". </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The migratory tarpon are the ones here now. The average size is about 100-150 pounds with some of the monsters getting up to 200 plus. They're migration brings them back to the Keys every Spring/early Summer to spawn . After the spawn they spread out and move up the coastline. Then in the Fall they school up again and start to migrate out to the warmer waters of the Gulf and into the Caribbean. The Spring migration into the Keys usually starts in March and the peak time to catch the biggest ones is from mid-April through June. They're usually finished spawning by the end of June ..but I still have caught these big ones into early July. There's always a few stragglers hanging around throughout the year but the majority of the migratory fish follow the pre-described pattern.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Baby tarpon are present in and around the Keys all year. They range in size from just a few pounds up to about 40 pounds. We've been catching some baby tarpon in the backcoutry on medium/light spinning gear. There are some areas where they can be more prevalent.. but for the most part you never know when you could hook-up with a baby silver king. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Our World renowned fishery is unmatched anywhere for it's diversity. Snook, redfish, tarpon, bonefish, permit, pompano, snapper, trout, black drum, sharks, grouper, mackerel, jacks, ladyfish ...and the list goes on and on......</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The summer months will sizzle with a variety of offerings. I offer eveing tarpon trips through June that will produce more of the monster Silver King tarpon. The backcountry will be cooking with snook, reds, trout, snapper, baby tarpon, sharks and a host of others. There's always something biting...so give me a shout and let's go fishing!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <br /><br /> <hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' /> <table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'> <tr> <td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'> <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient"> <img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" /> </a> </td> <td> <p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'> This email is free from viruses and malware because <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient">avast! Antivirus</a> protection is active. </p> </td> </tr> </table> <br /> Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-46847546897859231032016-01-22T15:40:00.001-08:002016-01-22T15:40:17.365-08:00The Fishing Capital of the World<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Islamorada is called "The Fishing Capital of the World". A very profound statement. Yet pretty darn accurate! There are not many places in the world where you can fish for more then a few different species all in one location and any time of the year! In Islamorada we have over 40 different species of saltwater fish that you can target on any given day.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The winter weather has kicked in and with it we are experiencing low tides and cooler water temperatures. This means concentrations of fish in the channels, Island Moats, the deeper waters in the Gulf and Oceanside patch reefs. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>We put a great catch together on Saturday. Phil Masser and wife Kelly experienced a fantastic multi-species catch. Kelly didn't fish but she was an excited commentator and observer. We started in the Gulf with many great size mangrove snapper. From there we ran the trap lines for tripletail and boated 4 that were all just too short to keep. We continued out to an old wreck in the Gulf and hammered some awesome fish. We caught black grouper, gag grouper, mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, spanish mackerel, pompano, cobia, jack crevalle, blue runners and ladyfish. After that we headed up to the mainland and hit another awesome spot where we spanked the redfish, black drum and boated one very nice speckled sea trout. That's over a dozen different species, and I'm sure I missed a few, all in one day. There are many places in the world where you don't catch a dozen of one species in one day! We caught more then 70 fish and had a blast!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The cold weather and wind kicked up on Sunday and the bite was slow for a few days. Wednesday and Thursday proved to be very good. The mangrove snapper bite was "out of control". All the snapper you wanted. They were eating shrimp and biting so good we even caught several on a bare jig. That's right, a bare jig with no bait on it! I guess they were hungry? The snook were smackin and snackin too. We landed 5 nice snook yesterday afternoon. They were inhaling our live baits (pinfish and shrimp).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The next few months should prove to be very productive for many of the winter species like black drum, sheepshead and spanish mackerel along with ALL the other species we have in our Fishing Capital of the World!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks for reading, head on down to the Keys for some awesome catching!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <br /><br /> <hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' /> <table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'> <tr> <td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'> <a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus"> <img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" /> </a> </td> <td> <p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'> This email is free from viruses and malware because <a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus">avast! Antivirus</a> protection is active. </p> </td> </tr> </table> <br /> Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-57214446148153549922015-07-21T07:53:00.001-07:002015-07-21T07:53:02.410-07:00Fishing and Catching<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>When you go fishing in the Florida Keys you are sure to be catching. There are those rare days when the bite may be slow..but if you have an open mind and just want to bend the rod, there is always something biting. It's great to go fishing and enjoy the fresh air, the beatuty of nature and the anticipation of the next cast producing that fabulous fish...but when they're biting and your catching...that's when it's the best!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The tarpon bite was great as ever this year. Many happy anglers caught their trophy tarpon with me this season. Mr Frank Conner landed the biggest of the year weighing in at 170 pound monster! When you hook up with one of these monsters fasten your safety belt and hang on! They are spectacular fighters, ripping off hundreds of yards on a single run and jumping for freedom. An experience that can never be forgotten. The season for tarpon here is mid March through June. The migratory tarpon start showing up in March and by mid April the really big ones are here in full force. Tarpon averaging 100-150 pounds is what you can expect from Mid April through June. I run an evening trip for tarpon that will produce a tarpon catch over 95% of the time. If you want to catch a trophy tarpon of your lifetime, get your calender out and start looking at Spring of 2016. Give me a call and let's do it!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The snook bite was very good this year too. We had some awesome days with 20 and 30 fish landed. Mr Roy Shepard from England had a few great days. He was catching snook, baby tarpon and big sea trout all on artificial baits. The snook were averaging 3 to 8 pounds, the baby tarpon were 3-10 pounds and the largerst trout was a whopping 26 incher! Frank and Chip from New Jersey had a banner day in May landing 25-30 snook, 5 tarpon and a dozen sea trout...all in one afternoon trip! The next day it was just me and Frank. He landed a few baby tarpon and snook on artificial lures (gulps), then we headed out for the big tarpon and he landed that 170 monster. Biggest of the year! The biggest snook of the year was just caught a couple weeks ago in July. It was a 37 inch fifteen pound pig. Most of the year has been good for snook. If we target snook and redfsh you can expect to catch 3 to 5 fish in an average day, but there are those excellent days when you can get into 10, 20 or even more.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>If your looking for table fair the snapper are always plentiful. I call them bluegills on steroids because you can catch as many as you want and they are great eating. When they are biting you are catching them as fast as you can put a shrimp on a jig, throw it in the water, let it hit the bottom and CRANK em in!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Late Summer and Fall fishing is right around the corner. We can expect the higher tides to be flooding the flats with some extra water. This allows us to get into some great flats fishing with artificial lures for reds, snook, baby tarpon and sea trout. I'm looking forward to some great fishing. Captains advise is... "If you learn to fish good, you will catch good!" So, get out their and practice your casting and you will give yourself the best opportunity for catching. Because we enjoy fishing...but everyone loves catching!!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> </FONT></DIV> <br /><br /> <hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' /> <table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'> <tr> <td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'> <a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus"> <img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" /> </a> </td> <td> <p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'> This email is free from viruses and malware because <a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus">avast! Antivirus</a> protection is active. </p> </td> </tr> </table> <br /> Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-30422480071444780372015-01-17T19:49:00.001-08:002015-01-17T19:49:31.079-08:00Fw: Winter Fishing in Islamorada<DIV> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=stevemurray126@att.net href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">steve</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=Crocsetal.tarpon@blogger.com href="mailto:Crocsetal.tarpon@blogger.com">Crocsetal.tarpon@blogger.com</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, December 20, 2014 2:31 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> Winter Fishing in Islamorada</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>When most of our Country thinks of winter, they think about cold and snow. Here in the Florida Keys winter means low humidity, sunny beautiful days in the mid 70's and fabulous fishing. Our winters in the Keys are sometimes known to be a little windy, but that is not the case this year. We've had beautiful weather with very light winds...so far. This lite wind allows us "backcountry" fishermen the opportunity to get out in the Gulf as well as the backcountry flats and channels. The diverse fishery is just another reason fishing in the Keys is so great.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Fishing in the Gulf is a little different then the backcountry. The water is a little deeper and we catch a variety of fish that we generally don't see in the back bay areas. Spainsh mackerel, pompano, tripletail, cobia, a variety of grouper and snapper, just to name a few..and the list goes on.....Just a few days ago we had a great day in the Gulf. It was a beautiful sunny day with hardly a breath of wind. The spanish mackerel were biting jigs tipped with shrimp. They averaged about 2-5 pounds and fight like they are twice their size. After we got our fill of mackerel we headed out towards an old sunken wreck, on the way we look for tripletail. Tripletail like to float on the surface and ambush their prey underneath, so they are easy to spot on a nice calm day. You must be a good caster to get them. If your cast is too far away they wont see it and if you hit them on the head they will spook. Presentation is everything with the tripletail. Toss a shrimp just in front of them and wham! Fish on! They are excellent fighters and some of the best table fair. We caught 3 nice ones and missed a couple others. When we got to the wreck it wasn't long before a couple nice cobia showed up. Again you need to make a really good cast just in front of them to get the bite. We landed one nice one about 7 pounds. Just a little short to keep. The cobia are also great table fair, die hard fighters and can be 30-40 pounders in the Gulf. We caught as many jacks (jack crevalle) as you wanted on the wreck and filled the livewell with keeper mangrove snapper. A couple nice pompano and a few lookdowns in the mix as well. The week before we got a big Goliath grouper (about 100 pounds) but we were denied the Goliath on this day. We did catch a few black and gag grouper in the 2-5 pound range. The guys wanted a shark, so we cut a jack in half and tossed it out on the "jaws" rod. It didn't take long before the drag was screaming and we were hooked up with a 150 pound lemon shark. 15 minutes later, a few pics next to the boat and we were done for the day. A pretty excellent day of fishing and this is just another option we have this time of year in the beautiful Florida Keys. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Depending on the circumstances of the day we have a variety of options as backcountry fishermen. We can fish the Gulf on certain days, the flats, the island moats, the channels and run offs, shorelines and beachs, creeks, canals, bridges and the list goes on. </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Every day poses different circumstances. Fishing is not an exact science. Some days are good ... some days are not so good. The GREAT thing about fishing here is...Even on the "not so good" day you are still going to catch something.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Many <STRONG>Factors </STRONG>come into play:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Weather conditions...wind speed...wind direction...light conditions (sunny, cloudy, dark)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Water Temperature...Rising/Falling/Stable</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Time of Year</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Migration Patterns of Fish</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Moon Phases</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Tides...Sl</FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>ow/Fast..Incoming/Outgoig/Slack</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Water... Color/Clarity/Depth</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Is there a lot of Bait in the Area?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Skill of the Angler...This a Big Factor</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>and the REALLY BIG one...Are they biting? <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><STRONG>Each Day</STRONG> poses different circumstances....we do what we can depending on those circumstances. </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The mainstays are trout, snapper, redfish, snook, jacks, ladyfish, shark. Those fish are accessable "all year". There are many fish that are more prevelant seasonally - tarpon, mackerel, black drum, sheepshead etc.. There are some fish that feed better in low light conditions - tarpon, snook. There are some fish that we can only access when the weather is nice and calm..like the ones way out in the Gulf or Ocean - cobia, mackerel, tripletail, goliath grouper. But <STRONG>ALL</STRONG> of the fish are affected by those <STRONG>factors</STRONG> listed above.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Fortunatley for you as an angler, you don't need to worry about these factors. Your guide (in this case me) will figure it out. So, the easy thing to do is...Hire a guide that you trust will try his best and make your day an enjoyable one...<STRONG>No Matter What the Circumstances...and enjoy our beautiful winter weather.</STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for reading and have a great day,</DIV> <DIV>Captain Steve Murray</DIV> <DIV>Phone: (305) 393-1641</DIV> <DIV>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></DIV> <DIV>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <br /><br /> <hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' /> <table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'> <tr> <td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'> <a href="http://www.avast.com/"> <img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" /> </a> </td> <td> <p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'> This email is free from viruses and malware because <a href="http://www.avast.com/">avast! Antivirus</a> protection is active. </p> </td> </tr> </table> <br /> Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-42496264391378913112013-06-01T08:48:00.001-07:002013-06-01T08:48:07.247-07:00Here Fishy Fishy!<DIV><FONT face=Arial>If you say it, they will come. Here fishy fishy! People ask me "does that really work?" To that I respond "It sure does, I say it every day!" A good friend and client of mine Mr Dennis Wright is a regular user of this phrase and it works for him every time. He will be here in a couple weeks to perform his magic fishy chant. I can't wait to see the results.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Tarpon season has about one month to go and it's been a great one! The evening tarpon bite has made many tarpon fishermen very happy. One of the happiest is another good friend/client of mine Mr Jerry Graber. Jerry accomplished what I have never witnessed before. He landed an amazing 5 out of 5 drag screaming, head shaking, rocket launch jumping, swiming under the boat, around the boat TARPON!!! Yes, 5 hooked and 5 landed tarpon. Not small fish either! He landed a 40, 50, 80, 90 and a 100 pounder...all in one evening tarpon trip(about 3 hours of tarpon fishing)! For those of you who have never been tarpon fishing this may not seem to be such a great feat. But for those who have caught tarpon..you know how difficult it is just to land ONE. The average hook to catch ratio is about 1 tarpon caught for every 2 or 3 hooked. Great job Jerry! The tarpon have been averaging 100-130 pounds for the last month or so. We landed a monster 180 pounder two eveings ago. The great evening tarpon action should continue through June and into early July.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>The trout and snapper bite coninues to be excellent and it's what you want to do if you are looking for some table fair. They are plentiful, fun to catch and are great to eat!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Sharks are plentiful this time of year and I always have the gear ready for anyone who wants to do battle with JAWS. Blacktips, Lemons and Bull Sharks are the majority of what we catch and they range in size from smaller 15 pounders up to the monster 300 pounders. We caught a 90 pound blacktip yesterday and I had a young 12 year old man aboard a few days ago who landed an 80 pound lemon shark. His biggest fish ever! Nick Sabol invited his dad out for the first time with me a few weeks ago. He caught a monster 300 pound Bull shark. Nice catch Joe! The sharks should be here, in force, until we get our first cold snap in November. A cold snap for us is 65 degrees :)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Snook and redfish are on the flats right now and will be throughout the fall. This is one of my favorite times to catch them on artificial lures. I like to throw swim baits, spoons, jerk baits and a variety of Berkley gulps. Site fishing or blind casting the flats and shorelines are producing some good numbers and nice size fish. The reds are running from 2-7 pounds and the snook 2-12 pounds. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>There is always something biting in the Keys. So, come on down and lets go fishing! Don't forget the Magic phras HERE FISHY FISHY!!!!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>As always, thanks for reading,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-77534630653334051752013-03-09T11:01:00.001-08:002013-03-09T11:01:28.698-08:00Time for a Fishing Report<DIV><FONT face=Arial>How's the Fishing? Well..let me tell you.....The fishing is great! Islamorada is known as "The Fishing Capital of the World". That's a pretty big reputation to maintain. The reason it is called "The Fishing Capital of the World" is because we have such a diverse fishery here...there is always something biting and there are sooo many different species you can "target". In the backcountry you have tarpon, redfish, snook, trout, snapper, shark...etc etc...and on the offshore side you have sailfish, king mackerel, amberjack, dolphin (mahi-mahi), snapper..etc etc... That is just to list a few! How many other places in the world can you find this diversity???? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>I still get asked "How's the weather gonna be?" or "I heard the weather is going to be bad - what do you think?" The best answer I have to this question is "There are only 2 types of weather...whether you are going fishing or whether you are not. I have been out on the windiest, coldest, nastiest weather days and had some of the best fishing and I have been out on some of the nicest, calmest, sunniest beautiful weather days and had tough fishing...and visa versa. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Not knowing what's going to happen is one of the reasons fishing is so much fun...you never know exactly what it's going to be...any day could be that banner day...where you catch that trophy or get into a school of big bruisers...crankin em in one after the other. You could be fishing for trout and have a monster tarpon eat your lure...WOW!! That just happened to us last week. We hooked up with a 100 pound plus tarpon while fishing for trout on a medium action spinning rod!!! Very exciting...chasing around a monster tarpon that is flying out of the water and screaming line off the reel. Fun fun fun....and you never know what you will hook into next. Tarpon in a trout hole, redfish in a snook spot, snook in a snapper hole or maybe even a 21 pound permit in a snapper hole!!! What?? - you say that could never happen. Well, that is exactly what happened. About a month ago a group from Michigan was down and we were catching snapper for their dinner and WHAM a 21 pound permit took the bait and we were off to the races ..chasing him for a good 20 minutes. Got him in the boat for pictures, weight and released him to fight again. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>The trout, snapper, redfish and black drum are biting well right now. We are in the very beginning of our tarpon season. They should be showing up in big numbers over the next few weeks as our temperatures increase. We are getting a few nice snook, some triple tail, pompano, mackerel and sharks too. The tarpon season is just about here and I expect it to be another great one!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>The fishing is always good here and even on a slow day...you will still catch more fish then almost anywhere else in the world. When the fishing is great..it is unmatched anywhere!!! Come on down and experience the fabulous fishing and beauty of our area. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Thanks for reading,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Captain Steve Murray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Phone: (305) 393-1641</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Web Page: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-88321933992887383572012-09-09T09:40:00.001-07:002012-09-09T09:40:38.930-07:00Fall into Great Fishing<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>September sparks the beginning of Fall fishing. For the Florida Keys this means high water on the flats, warm water and very aggressive fish! This is one of my favorite times to fish. Site fishing or blind casting artificial baits - such as weedless spoons, jerk baits, swim baits and top water plugs this time of year is SUPER productive - and very exciting. There's nothing like watching a huge snook erupt on your lure in 2 feet of water - then scream out 20 yards of drag and jump. Hang on - because the reds, big trout and baby tarpon are in the mix as well. Many of my HOT SPOT locations can produce any of these three at any time. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Yesterday I fished with a couple regulars - Roland and Mike. Roland is from Germany and Mike lives here in the Keys. Mike caught 2 backcountry slams (snook, redfish and tarpon), Roland caught one backcountry slam (trout, redfish, tarpon). The bite was ON as we rolled our spoons and swim baits across the flats.....WHAM another nice snook.....POP it's a big trout....SLAM it's a drag screaming red.....SPLASH it's a baby tarpon! We ended the trip with some live bait evening tarpon fishing around the bridges and landed 4 beautiful baby tarpon in about an hour. HELLOOO is there any place on Earth with fishing like this???? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish bite has been great. Good numbers of fish and most are in the "slot" (18"-27"). On the really good days we have been catching 30-40 reds. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout continue to be abundant with average size fish (13"-19") with some gator size up to 24". Most of the time we can produce over 80 fish on an average day. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The snook are biting and the good days have produced 10-15 fish. They are running anywhere from 22" up to 37" monsters. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The baby tarpon are hit or miss during the day on the artificials - but evening fishing around the bridges is very productive.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The mangrove snapper are as abundant as ever. You can catch as many as you want and catching a limit is usually a no-brainer. My nickname for these fish is "bluegills on steroids". They are very abundant, average size is 7"-14", they pull like they are 3 times their size and they are great tablefair. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>There are several other species - sharks, tripletail, jacks, ladyfish, grouper and a host of others that you can experience here in the beautiful Florida Keys. So, stop watching all those awesome fishing shows on TV and experience it for yourself. Fall into some great fishing this Fall in the Florida Keys.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-50063670804789753222012-07-08T12:25:00.000-07:002012-07-08T12:29:16.715-07:00Fishing - The Greatest Water Sport<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Summertime is here and everyone enjoys their favorite watersport - fishing! Fishing in the Keys has been fantastic. After some very strange weather in our winter/spring seasons - summer seems to be on track with great fishing and normal summer weather. It is actually cooler in the Keys then it is throughout a large portion of the United States.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The big migratory Silver King (tarpon) are still here and battling as strong as ever. I've been out on two evening tarpon trips this week and both trips produced several monster 110 pound plus tarpon. We boated one for two on Friday and 2 out of 4 on Monday. You're sure to get a workout from these aggressive - never say die - fighters. Not a good idea for the faint of heart. We are headed out again tonite to do battle with the Silver King. I don't know how much longer these big migratory fish will be hanging around this season. The majority of them are usually spreading out up the coasts by the third week in July. This year was a slow start - so maybe they will be hanging out a little longer?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish have been out on the flats in very good numbers and are easy to catch if you can work a spoon, swim bait or any shrimp imitation. They are very aggressive this time of year with the warm high water. A few days ago we boated over 25 nice reds in less than two hours working the flats with gold and silver spoons. These fish are averaging 2-6 pounds.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout bite has also been as good as ever with many fish in the 17-21 inch range. Artificials are all I use this time of year - the fish are very aggressive - great fun to catch and great tablefair. Catching 50-80 sea trout are common on a 1/2 day trip. If you want to introduce a youngster to fishing - sea trout is a great way to get them started. Catching is always more enjoyable for the beginners. They know they're "doing it right" when they bring a fish in to the boat!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The snook have been good lately as well. They can be hit or miss - but the days we've been into them - they are really nice size (5-14 pounds average) and if you put your time in - your chances of hooking into a beautiful linesider are very good. One problem with catching snook this time of year - is the sharks. There are BIG sharks hanging around in many of my snook spots and once you hook or catch a few snook - the sharks start to "key in" on them. If you've seen the U-Tube video on my homepage <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A> you know what I mean. Once the sharks move in - we will either move to another spot for snook - or put out a shark rod. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The sharks are very abundant and if you want to do battle with Jaws - I have the equipment and the spots to produce several of these toothy critters. Most of them are lemons, bulls and blacktips. They average 60-200 pounds this time of year.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>We also catch several other species in the mix - triple tail, jacks, pompano, snapper, lady fish, grouper, barracuda and many more. The greatest thing about fishing in the Keys is - There is always Something biting. Even on a bad day here in the Keys - the fishing is usually better then a good day in most other places.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, bring yourself or a friend or the family to the Keys and give me a call. Then you too can <STRONG>Enjoy Everyone's Favorite Watersport - FISHING!!</STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> </FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-73522546997004009042012-05-18T08:28:00.001-07:002012-05-18T08:28:07.108-07:00Fishing Report<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I've had a few people asking for a fishing report. I've been fishing almost every day and haven't had time to put together a quality report. So, I'm going to send out a quickie.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Tarpon are the big story this time of year . Tarpon season got off to a very slow start this year. April, May and June normally produce good numbers of the big migratory fish - especially in the evening. This year, the fish showed up late. The weather was extremely cool, windy and stormy through April. This kept our migratory fish from entering their normal haunts around the Florida Keys. We still caught some good fish - but the bite was not "up to par" for a normal April and early May. The good news is - they are here now! We are catching good numbers of the big (100-150 pound) migratory fish. The evening trips are producing. This last week we've been averaging 5-6 hook-ups and catching at least one or two monster "Silver Kings" every evening trip. I expect the tarpon fishing to be excellent all the way through June. More than likely - it will be great into mid July. I've caught huge tarpon up to 220 pounds and they will average 100-150 pounds this time of year. So, if you are after a trophy "fish of a lifetime" now is the time.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout bite continues to be excellent with average catches of 50-80 fish per trip and lots of really nice size speckled sea trout up to 25 inchers. For great non-stop action the trout and snapper are the way to go.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish and snook have been good. Definitely more reds then snook - but we have caught some really nice snook up to 14 pounds. The reds are averaging 2-6 pounds. We have been catching 10-15 redfish on a good day lately.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The shark bite has been really good. We have gotten into some nice blaktips up to 80 pounds, big lemons up to 200 pounds and a few bulls up to 200 pounds. A few weeks ago we boated a 100 pound hammerhead and two sawfish that were 15-16 footers!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I have many trips booked through late June. This time of year usually is booked far in advance. So, if your thinking about booking - give me a call as soon as you can - to reserve some of the best fishing in the world - right here in the beautiful Florida Keys. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-51834175792592695352012-03-11T19:41:00.001-07:002012-03-11T19:41:57.634-07:00How's the Fishin?<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>How's the Fishing? I get asked this question quite regularly. How's the fishing going to be today? To this I respond - ask me tomorrow or get in the boat and we will see. I can tell you how it's been - but no-one can predict how it will be today. That's why we call it fishing - not catching. In general the fishing here is always good. It's always good for something. We have such a diverse fishery - there's always something biting. Even on a slow day of fishing here in the Keys - it's still better than a good day in most other places throughout the world. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>That being said - lets talk about how the fishing has been. The trout bite is really awesome right now. The sea trout are moving into their spring patterns and we are catching big numbers in the deep water grass. We have been catching limits of very nice size fish up to 21 inches every day for the last couple weeks. Great action for anyone who enjoys catching a lot of fish. It's not uncommon to catch 80-100 on a good day. We also catch jacks, ladyfish and the occasional pompano while targeting these feisty, tasty speckled sea trout. Most of the restaurants in town will cook your catch and a few trout will feed two hungry anglers. There is nothing better at the end of the day - than relaxing in a nice restaurant with a few drinks and enjoying the fish you caught that day. They don't get any fresher than that. The mangrove snapper are great eating as well and are always available to target. I call them - bluegills on steroids because they are usually schooled up in big numbers, easy to catch, they taste great, they fight like they're 3 times their size and the average size is from about 7 to 14 inches. A big one can be over 20 inches - but those are rare. Great table fare and lots of action.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish were biting well all winter. We were catching 15-25 a day on the good days. During the last couple weeks the reds have turned off. Not so many fish caught - but to me this only means it's going to get better soon. The good news is the snook bite turned on. The snook are found in the same places we catch redfish - so, like I was saying earlier, our fishery is so diverse - there's always something biting. Although the reds have been hard to catch the snook have turned on and some really nice size fish have showed up. They have been averaging 5 to 9 pounds - and those are some drag screaming bruisers. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Tarpon - oh yea Tarpon. It's almost prime time for tarpon. The migratory fish are making their arrival. There are <STRONG>some</STRONG> fish here now and I expect the large numbers to start showing up soon with the warm weather we've had. I have a few evening tarpon trips coming up in the next week and I expect to produce some good size fish. This time of year most of the early arrivals are in the 50-80 pound range - but by mid April the big monsters (100-200 pounders) will be here. If your into the muscle burn of battling these 100 pound plus monsters - book your trip now for spring and early summer tarpon action.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>There are many other species we are catching - shark, spanish mackerel, black drum, sheepshead, tripletail and barracuda to name a few. I love fishing - as much as anyone and we have a very diverse fishery to choose from. If you want to know how the fishing's been - you can call and ask me. If you want to know how the fishing is going to be - book a trip and we will find out together.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: </FONT><A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net"><FONT size=2 face=Arial>stevemurray126@att.net</FONT></A><BR><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Website: </FONT><A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com"><FONT size=2 face=Arial>www.tarponheadquarters.com</FONT></A><BR></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-75720518551425264232012-01-17T10:10:00.001-08:002012-01-17T10:10:41.001-08:00Sunny Warm Weather Fishing<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It's January and the weather is in the 70's, it's sunny almost every day and the fish are biting. There aren't too many places in the United States, or most of the world for that matter, where you can make a true statement like that. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish are schooled up big-time right now. Low tide situations are producing large numbers of fish in the channels, run-offs and the deeper cuts along the mangroves. On the really high tides they are schooled up on the flats as well. Mike and Fran Chapin were in from the Chicago area for there annual winter fishing trip. They experienced some intense non-stop action of the powerful, schooled up feeding redfish. We boated more than 50 reds in the 2-6 pound range and some bully black drum up to 7 pounds. The action was fast and furious. Sore arms and smiling faces at days end. There's been a few snook in the mix as well and some real bruisers up to 14 pounds. Very nice to see our snook population coming back from the cold snap we had a few years ago. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout bite remains as good as ever. We've been getting some nice fat fish up to 22 inches. These beautiful speckled sea trout are great fun for the whole family. It's not uncommon to catch 80-100 in a 1/2 day trip. The action is fast. Doubles and triple hook-ups when the bite is on. For consistent action it's hard to beat the trout, snapper and spanish mackerel bite this time of year. If you're someone who enjoys bending the rod - fish after fish - these are the species to target. This is a great way to get a kid hooked on fishing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The shark fishing can be good this time of year - although I do prefer the warmer months for more consistent action. George Luburich</FONT> <FONT size=2 face=Arial>is a regular and he's the kind of guy who wants something large on the end of his line. We landed a nice 6 pound snook, several jacks and ladyfish and then it was time to go after Jaws! We cut up the jacks and ladyfish for bait. Baited up the shark rod and let the big man hang on and wait. George boated a big stingray and his brother-in -law landed one of the biggest sharks I've seen in the backcountry - weighing in at a whopping 350 pounds. Happy guys heading back home to the north. George will be back again in the spring for his annual tarpon trip. The big 100-200 pound tarpon will start showing up in March and the peak time will be mid April through June. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>If the cold weather is getting you down - pick up the phone, book a trip to the beautiful, warm, sunny Florida Keys and "Lets Go Fishin"!</FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-81797224227549921942011-12-16T11:48:00.000-08:002011-12-16T11:49:02.718-08:00Fishin in the Keys<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Fishing in the Keys is great - as usual. This year has been a little on the warm side for early winter. If you are coming from a cold part of the world - I'm sure you won't mind a bit! Even though the waters have been warmer than normal for this time of year - the fish are still in their winter patterns. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The spanish mackerel are "game on" just outside the park. We caught a few nice tripletail and a small cobia along with 25-30 feisty spanish mac's on one of the less windy days last week. The redfish have been good and some really nice size snook have moved in. The reds are averaging 2-5 pounds and last week we boated some great size snook in the 8-12 pound range. It's nice to see the snook population is getting better and better over the last couple years. They are still "no take" and that is helping the fishery tremendously. The trout bite is very good - but they are also "out of season" through December. Nice size fish up to 22 inches and very good numbers. Fun for "catch and release". It you want some "eaters" the mangrove snapper are schooled up in big numbers and make for great table fair. We landed a 25 inch gag grouper in one of my snapper holes on Friday (yum). We are also getting some nice black drum and sheepshead. For you shark fans - the warmer weather has kept some of these "toothy critters" lurking in our shallow waters. We landed two nice lemon sharks in the 80-100 pound range earlier last week. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I've got several trips over the next couple weeks and the fishing should be great. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Happy Holidays everyone! Hope to see you on the water soon.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-6605909526844946902011-09-26T10:21:00.001-07:002011-09-26T10:21:16.393-07:00The Redfish are Coming! - The Redfish are Coming!<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>No, not The Redcoats - "The Redfish"! Ever since the cold blast we had back in January 2010 the redfishing has been excellent. This last weekend it was as good as it gets. My brother was in from Bozeman, Montana and we loaded up the 21 Redfisher and headed to the Flamingo area for some great redfish fishing. We worked hard the first few hours hitting the deeper Island moats. It was tough, we only landed one red and several ladyfish. It was high tide and I figured these fish must be "up on the flats" so we headed for a luscious grass flat with good water flow and as we pulled up slowly with the trolling motor - the water "came alive" - tails, pushes, wakes from redfish everywhere! Quick, get a cast in there! Bam, Bam - two reds on and several following our hooked fish in toward the boat. Then the water really came alive with well over 500 redfish scurrying across the flats. They were working a section of the grass flat about 200 yards long and 50 yards wide. They would move away when we hooked up and after a minute or two they would move back into our range and Bam, Bam hooked up with another double. They were all 2 to 5 pounders and this went on for about an hour. A big thunderstorm moved in on us and we left the reds - still biting. We boated well over 70 fish. It doesn't get any better than that! </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Last week we worked the flats up in the Bites (or what is better know as Bays in most areas). The baby tarpon were out in force and we landed 3 for about 7 on jerk baits and swim baits. These baby tarpon were making crazy jumps and headshaking that can toss the hook in a hurry. They were averaging 2 to 8 pounds. Lots of fun on light spinning rods. We also got into a few nice snook and redfish. Snook up to 8 pounds and reds up to 6 pounds. The trout and snapper bite has been excellent as well.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The Fall is always a great time to fish. The high tides pull lots of feeding fish up on the grass flats and when they see a free offering they readily except - usually in a very aggressive manner. The change in the season is right around the corner and these fish will again change there feeding habits - but that's OK - I think I know where they will be. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Come-on down to the Keys for some great fishing!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-31538136618743966462011-08-05T15:38:00.001-07:002011-08-05T15:38:34.491-07:00Hot Hot Hot - Fishin Too<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Temperatures are hot and so is the fishing. We don't expect anything less this time of year. The redfish bite has been red hot. This past Wednesday we got into as many redfish as you wanted to catch. Every cast was a nice red - and most of the fish were in the 20- 27 inch range - and it was literally EVERY CAST! After catching 40-50 beautiful reds - Mike and Roland decided they would like to try something else??? Roland wants to get a shark - so, we left the reds, still biting, and hit one of my red hot shark spots. Roland (from Germany) doesn't get too many sharks where he is from - and getting a huge man-eater shark on film was a big thrill for him - and the film will make a big hit with his buds back in Germany! He battled and caught a nice 100 pound lemon shark and another 150 pound plus bull shark before we headed back home.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Ken and Patty (from Illinois) were in today and also wanted the catch the toothy critter (shark). We hit a big muddy water spot and pulled in some nice tasty shark bait (ladyfish). Then off to the shark spot. In our 1/2 day trip they boated 7 teeth gnashing terrors of the sea! They had a an excellent trip and got some great photos.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout are gorging themselves as well. They are getting ready to make a mid summer spawn and some of these trout are big fat gators at 22 inch plus fish. Lots and lots of action with most in the 12-19 inch range. Hot, hot action - great fun for the family and excellent table fair. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The snook are still hit and/or miss - but on the days we are finding them - we are getting some really nice size fish. We landed a beautiful 14 pounder last week, lost one that was easily 16 pound plus and many feisty size fish in the 5-12 pound range. Great fun, always a few drag screaming runs and jumps - and we are finding them in some of the same areas the redfish are frequenting. So, hot action on the reds with some nice snook in the mix.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This is a great time to fish the backcountry. The tides are high - allowing us to get up on some of the flats that are inaccessible in the winter and spring. The water is warm influencing these fish to be more aggressive. They will chase an artificial bait this time of year and eat it "in a heartbeat" - and that's always a huge thrill. Weedless swim baits work great and I love seeing a big red, snook or tarpon "Blast" a fast moving artificial lure! The tides and wind are key - and morning or late afternoon/evening are best. Give me a shout if want to experience some great hot, hot, hot fishing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-75804071417760241002011-07-03T16:46:00.000-07:002011-07-03T16:47:01.166-07:00Hot Fun in the Summertime<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The fishing in and around the backcountry continues to be great. The trout bite is fantastic with several 30-50 fish half days. The redfish are chomping up the shrimp and gulp shrimp. Catching some nice ones on the gold/silver spoons and several different swim baits. Getting some nice snook in the mix as well. We caught a beautiful 12 pounder last week. For you shark fans - the sharks are as abundant as they can be. Plenty of Bulls, Lemons and a few Black Tips. The Tarpon were killer this year - but the warm weather has caused the big migratory fish to vacate the area a little early this season. We are still getting the local Tarpon around some of the bridges and in the backcountry. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This time of year the water is a little higher and allows us to get up on some of the flats that are not so easily accessible in the winter and spring. For those who like casting swim baits, spoons and even some top water plugs - this is the time to do it. Summer and fall offer the best opportunity to fish these artificials and the warm weather has the fish very aggressive. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The live bait fishing is always good for everything and still the best bet for snapper and tarpon. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The Summer and Fall are excellent times to fish - but it gets a little warm out there. So, a 4 hour or 6 hour trip is the best - either morning, late afternoon or evening trips are the way to go. <FONT size=3>Give me a shout and lets go fishing! </FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-9311061912323058102011-05-06T12:44:00.000-07:002011-05-06T12:45:00.535-07:00Fish Catchin in the Keys<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It's springtime in the Keys and the fish are right on schedule. The business is great this year. I have been out fishing almost every day since mid February. Lots of happy customers and lots of "not so happy" fish. Although, these fish should be happy - they are getting a free meal, a free workout and some fish even get their picture taken! The "not so lucky ones" get to come back for dinner. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout bite continues to be spectacular - with many days producing well over 100 trout per day. Jim and Al were in from Michigan for two days of fishing. They come every year with a group of 10 and we fish a small tournament with 5 boats. Each day rewards most fish per boat and biggest fish per boat. We won "most fish" both days with 250 fish caught and released on day one and well over 100 fish on day 2! The trout, snapper, ladyfish and jacks were very abundant. We released a 13 pound black grouper on day 1 and had a nice 30 pound tarpon day 2 - but one of the other boats had a big barracuda on day 1 and another boat had a 100 pound tarpon on day 2. Loads of fun - everyone had a great time.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The evening tarpon bite is still great and should only get better through June. The bite was a little slow last week. A few trips we only hooked up on 1 to 3 fish a night. That's a pretty slow bite for evening tarpon fishing - but most trips have been producing at least 3 to 5 hookups on the Silver King. A few weeks prior we were hooking 7 and 8 fish a night. These fish have been in the 90-130 pound range and hooking up on more than 5 of these monsters in a night can be a real workout! Nick from Chicago landed his first 100 pounder last Tuesday evening - I've known Nick for many years and I don't think I've ever seen him happier. Almost every evening has produced at least one catch and on the best days we have landed 4 mammoth tarpon - on a 4 hour trip that's a lot of action. Lots of sweat, sore arms and big smiles!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The bonefishing was good last week. We landed a beautiful 10 pounder on a 4 hour morning trip and had shots at 2 other small schools. The bonefish fishing is very technical and requires patience and a very well placed cast. The fish here are big - averaging 8-11 pounds - and they didn't get to be that big being stupid. The bones are very spooky and if you can make a great cast and place it softly ahead of the grey ghost - you will experience a screaming drag run like you have never imagined. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The weathers been beautiful and typically May has light winds. Just enough wind to keep you comfortable on the water. World class fishing here in the Keys for those who want to chase the fish of a lifetime and exceptionally great numbers of fish for those who just want to bend the rod. Frank Conner - a regular client and good friend - brought the kids down from New York a few weeks ago and young Jake and Ashley showed there friends how it's done with some great trout, jack and ladyfish action. Bring the kids down for the rod bending action - they will be hooked on fishing for life.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hope to fish with you soon - please call ahead for reservations - I have many bookings through June.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-71331305229559522302011-04-10T13:50:00.001-07:002011-04-10T13:50:27.780-07:00Therrrre Heeeere!<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It Tarpon Time and there are here!!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The last three evenings have produced 7 tarpon catches. Thursday and Friday evening we fished in some of my "downtown" area spots. These fish were averaging 25-80 pounds. Saturday evening we fished the Monster run and landed 2 - 100 pounders. When these tarpon start showing up in the Monster alley run - that is the sign that our migratory fish have arrived - and they will be here through June and into mid July. So, if you ever wanted to catch "the fish of a lifetime" - a 100 pound plus tarpon - now through mid July is the time to do it! These fish will average 100-150 pounds with a chance to hook-up with a 180-200 pound monster! The tarpon are here to spawn - so this is the heaviest they will be all year. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Phil and Greg fished with me the last 3 days/evenings and they each caught a backcountry slam on Saturday (tarpon, redfish and trout). The trout bite has been outrageous with some of my spots producing a trout on almost every cast - for as long as you want to catch 'em! We got into some redfish yesterday - they guys landed 5 or 6 reds. The evening produced 2 beautiful 100 pound tarpon. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I took the Berge family out last week and 7 year old Connor had the day of his life. He caught all the trout he could handle and was just as excited catching the first one as he was to catch the 40th one. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It's tarpon time - but it's also a great time to get into some nice reds, snook, trout, snapper and a host of others- and if you are a diehard hardcore fisherman it's also a great time to catch a big bonefish or permit. Expect to spend the whole day going after the grey ghost (bonefish) or ever elusive permit. One or two in a day is a very good day. If you like lots of action - trout and snapper are very abundant.</FONT> <FONT size=2 face=Arial> The redfish can be hot action too. One of the reasons this is such an amazing place to fish - is the great variety we have. There is always something to target and always something biting. Come on down and catch that fish of a lifetime - the tarpon are here!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-54967907355113639912011-04-03T15:36:00.001-07:002011-04-03T15:36:22.352-07:00Springtime Fishing in the Keys<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Sorry I haven't posted a report in a while. March was extremely busy and the fishing was - and still is - fantastic!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The tarpon started showing up a little earlier this year. The water temperature warmed up nicely as the winds were down - for what we normally expect in March.</FONT> <FONT size=2 face=Arial> The tarpon bite has been good. We have been averaging 3 to 5 hook-ups on an evening tarpon trip. Most of the fish have been in the 60-80 pound range with some 25-35 pounders caught in some of the "downtown" areas. It's very rare that we don't catch at least one tarpon on an evening trip and I pride myself on consistently producing tarpon on every evening tarpon trip. The big dogs are showing up and it looks like we are going to have another banner tarpon year. Be ready for a workout if you plan on tarpon fishing - it's not for the timid, meek or young children. It truly is a battle intended for the well prepared.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout bite has been amazing! We call it a "hole in one" when the cork goes down as soon as it hits the water - and we've had many hole in ones lately. You can catch a trout on almost every cast for as long as you want to - in some of my good spots right now - and there are some really nice fat female "gator trout" in the mix.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The reds have been really good too. But some of the days we've had to work for them. When they are biting - we've put together some 20-30 fish days - with a few snook in the mix as well. The snook bite is hit or miss - but it has been getting better with the warmer spring weather.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>For all you shark fans - the shark are showing up strong with this warm weather and Andy and Niki from Michigan had there fill with 3 nice blacktips and two big 100 pound plus bull sharks on a half day trip last week. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Last year was the best tarpon fishing I've seen and I expect this year to be just as good. The best time for tarpon is mid April through mid July. So, if you are planning a trip to the Keys and want to do some great fishing - give me a call. This season is booking up fast - but I still have some openings. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Have a great day - and thanks for reading!</FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-55254727381683712942011-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:002011-02-21T09:29:52.510-08:00Fish Bites<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It may be wintertime in most of North America - but it's basically springtime here in South Florida. Mid to upper 70's during the day and 60's at night - beautiful weather - and the fish are bite-in!! </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Andy from Michigan found out the hard way why we call 'em snapper down here. He got his finger a little too close to the mouth of a mangrove snapper and "Ouuuch" this fish Bites!! Yep, Andy - that's why they call 'em snapper. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>In the last few weeks we've been catching lot's of redfish, trout and snapper. Some really nice spanish mackerel out west of Everglades National Park with some trout, snapper, pompano and a few triple tail in the mix. The snook fishing has been pretty good the last few trips. Andy from Michigan felt the furry of the savvy snook. He landed 3 or 4 snook up to 5 pounds and lost a couple in the mangroves. They love to scream off the drag and get you into those bushes! </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The tarpon season is right around the corner and I've seen a few of the big monsters swimming around lately. They are already starting to show up and I've got the heavy gear all lubed up and ready. The peak time for tarpon is generally mid April through Mid July - but I start catching some nice size fish (30-70 pounders) in the early part of March.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, if your tired of looking at the snow and ice - or you just want to do some fishing. Come on down to South Florida. The weather is beautiful and the fish are biting!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Subscribe to my blog here <A href="http://tarponheadquarters.blogspot.com/">http://tarponheadquarters.blogspot.com/</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-38996558576906576782011-01-18T12:18:00.001-08:002011-01-18T12:18:46.528-08:00Reds are Still Rollin<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Is it normal to catch a redfish on almost every cast? The redfish continue to be one of the main target species this winter. Some of my spots are filled with them. Literally hundreds of them and they are hungry! They are eating shrimp, gulp shrimp and yes, they are even eating the fly. Drop a small weighted clouser in the hole and wham - redfish. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The last few days have produced lots and lots of redfish, some good size sheepshead up to 5 pounds and some nice trout. The spanish mackerel bite has been very good out west with some snapper, jacks, ladyfish and trout in the mix. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish are the really big story this year. Last winter was super cold. We had a fish kill worse than anyone had seen in a lifetime. The snook, baby tarpon, bonefish, jacks, snapper, grouper and even some sharks where severely affected. Almost all of these species that got caught in the shallow backcountry waters died. Yes, the shorelines were filled with thousands of dead fish. From Tampa to the Florida Keys, February 2010 will forever be remembered as one of the biggest fish kills in Florida history. </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>But - with every bad comes something good. The redfish can handle the severe temperature drop. They had a normal spawn in 2010 and because there were far less predatory fish (snook, baby tarpon, jacks) to eat the fry and fingerling reds - the population exploded. This last summer of 2010 these newly spawned reds were averaging 12-14 inches. Now they are averaging 15-18 inches. We are still catching some larger reds in the mix - but the big numbers we're catching are from the great spawn last year. By spring 2011, I expect these fish to be 18-22 inches on average and another great spawn to produce even more great redfishing. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The trout also can handle the temperature drop and are still around in great numbers. The majority of our snapper migrated out to the deep water wrecks and reefs. They have returned to the backcountry in good numbers as well. The migratory tarpon were unaffected - as they were in the warmer waters of the Caribbean during the cold snap. In fact, last tarpon season (April- July 2010) was one of the best I have ever seen. We caught tarpon almost every evening with several 3 and 4 fish catches. To catch 3 or 4 -100 pound plus tarpon in a 4 hour evening trip is a great feet. You are pretty much catching a fish from the moment you put a line in until we head back to the dock. I look for this years tarpon season to be as good or better.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Another good thing to come from last years fish kill is - there are more crabs, shrimp, pinfish and all other kinds of baitfish. So, with more bait in the area, the fish have more to eat and will grow faster and stay in feeding areas longer. Bigger fish to come and easier to find. I can't wait for this years upcoming fishing - it should be great! Give me a call and - LETS GO FISHIN!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-63036318624783242072010-12-31T11:09:00.001-08:002010-12-31T11:09:20.975-08:00Cast and You Shall Recieve<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The redfish population has exploded! Yesterday we caught 30-40 redfish in about two hours. Not only were the redfish biting - but mixed in with the reds we landed over 20 big trout, several very nice size mangrove snapper and hooked into 2 drag screaming snook (we landed one 6 pounder and lost an even bigger one)! Wow! All in one spot. It was literally throw the line in the water and catch a fish. Did I mention - we only fished for about 2 hours!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The action had been good all week - but the cold front Sunday had the bite a little slower earlier in the week. Fishing was very good on Monday and Tuesday - Stu and Stu Frazer from Michigan got into 8-10 reds, some nice trout and limited out on some big mangrove snapper on Monday - and it was COLD. The high was around 46 degrees and the wind was 15-25mph. The Robinson family had great fishing Tuesday - duplicating Mondays catch. Wednesday got a little better - Then the weather started to warm up. The water started to warm and the fish turned on - big time - yesterday afternoon. Mike Chapin from the Chicago area caught a fish nearly every cast. He landed his first Backcountry Slam (redfish, trout, snook) and has a soar arm, a permanent smile and some great photos to prove it. Days like this will be remembered for a lifetime.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>These fish are in their winter patterns. They are concentrated in the deeper holes, pockets and near the creek mouths and run offs. The run-offs are where the water runs off the flat during a low/falling tide situation and it looks like a small stream running into the main channel. The shrimp run with the falling tide and all predators are waiting for a good shrimp dinner. They ambush the shrimp as they run with the water flow off the flats and into the deeper holes and pockets. If you locate the right spot the action can be hot and heavy all day - hammer time!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The weather looks beautiful here for the next week. Mid 70's and no snow! The fishing should be great. Give me a call and LETS GO FISHIN!!!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958519827858892798.post-92123237512529077152010-12-23T09:50:00.001-08:002010-12-23T09:50:42.958-08:00December Keys Fishing<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The mangrove snapper bite was on fire yesterday. Shelly and Dennis were down from NJ and they slayed the fish. We got into some nice redfish to start the day, then headed out for trout. The speckled sea trout were biting well - with some really good size fish - but the trout are out of season until January 1st. Shelly and Dennis wanted some fish for dinner, so we headed to one of my mangrove snapper holes. The snapper bite was crazy. We couldn't keep a line in the water for more than a few seconds and WHAM another big snapper. These mangrove snapper are real fighters and great fun to catch on light tackle. Not only are they a great fight - but they are one of the best eating fish. The longer we fished the bigger the snapper got. We caught well over 100 fish and kept a limit of some really nice 2-3 pound snapper.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The weather has been beautiful the last few days - sunny, highs around 75 degrees and light wind. The water was like glass as we headed for the backcountry. Cruising deep into Everglades National Park, it was hard to tell where the water ended and sky begins. A perfect day for a boat ride and good rod bending.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>We returned just before sunset. I filleted the fish and they headed to their favorite restaurant for a few drinks and a fresh fish dinner. I doesn't get much better than that. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This is a good time of year to target redfish, trout, snapper, black drum, sheepshead, spanish mackerel and the warmest weather in the country. It looks like January is going to be a cold one, but it's warmer in the Keys. Come on down for some fabulous fishin!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks, <BR>Captain Steve Murray<BR>Phone: 305 - 393 - 1641<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:stevemurray126@att.net">stevemurray126@att.net</A><BR>Website: <A href="http://www.tarponheadquarters.com">www.tarponheadquarters.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>Florida Fishing Headquartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161749293019783309noreply@blogger.com0